London Experiments in
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Hygienic Refuse Collection
MHE highways committee of West minster City Council has considered some interesting reports by the cleansing surveyor and the city comptroller relating to tests made during the current year with different types of refusecollection vehicle. In its experiments the eity council has shown a keen and progressive desire to overcome the obvious objections to -old-fashioned and unhygienic means for collection, and in this respect Westminster may be regarded as a pioneer.
With the old methods the refuse is exposed to public view, the contents are blown about the streets and ladders have to be used for loading. The city has many Thornyeroft 4A-ton wagons, as well as some Kessler three-tonners and four-tonners and Daimler threetonners, all of which have given excellent service. In addition, there is a S.D. Freighter for 2-ton loads and there are several pair-horsed and singlehorsed vans.
n20 The S.D. Freighter has a low loading line and is provided with sectional , canvas covers, and it marks an important advance on the older machines with their high-sided bodies. The council has also experimented with the Ess-Emm system, this comprising a
special cyliddrical body of S cubic yds. capacity with automatic shutters, which is used in conjunction -with patent dustbins. Ond of the bodies was mounted on an existing chassis in the council's fleet and utilized with 650 of the bins in two areas--one in Mayfair and the other in Pimlico.
Another vehicle, known as the Faun, which incorporates the Ess-Ernm shutters and has a capacity for 13 cubic yds. of refuse, was loaned to the council for five days during the sum mer. In June, also, two S.D. Freighters of 7 cubic ycls capacity were loaned for a fortnight to the council. These vehicles have sectional metal covers which are operated by foot Pressure. From the experiments the committee has drawn the following conclusions: The Ess-Emm system is the most hygienic that it has yet tested ; with the container mounted on one of the council's existing motor chassis it has proved slightly expensive, this being attributed partly to the small load capacity of the collecting vehicle, namely, 8 cubic yds. The main reason for the lower cost of collection by the Faun vehicle is said to be its higher load capacity (13 cubic yds.). The committee thinks that to combine the dustless loading of the Ess-Emm system with the economic working of the S.D. Freighter, the council's existing s.D. Freighter should be equipped with an Ess-Emm container.
It is reported that the Eagle Engineering Co., Ltd., is prepared to manufacture a specially designed chassis and body havino.b a much larger carryincapacity than the present model and to hire it to the council for an
experimental period. The committee recommends that this offer be aceepted.
So far as the adaptation of the SD. Freighter to the Ess-Emm system is concerned, it appears that this can be done, and the city cleansing surveyor estimates the cost of the work to be about £50. The committee recommends that the adaptation be executed, and has allotted £50 for this purpose.
THE Government of Ecuador has, after much difficulty, solved the problem of establishing transport by motor vehicle across the Andes, between the city of Riobamba and the flourishing town of Gnaranda. In the past mules, llamas, donkeys and horses provided the only means for the transport of goods and passengers between these two centres.
Without the expenditure of a great deal of money, and without the alteration of any gradients, the old pack trail has been widened and the pass is used as a motor road. The offer of Mr. John Sherwood, who is the concessionnaire in this country for the Ess-Emm bin-andshutter system, to loan the Faun vehicle to the council for a 14-day free test, • is recommended for acceptance. A further 700. specialdustbins are to
be purchased at a cost of £586, in order to provide sufficient bins for the vehicles referred to above to deal with during the whole working day, for, when the Faun Vehicle was tried for a short period last summer, there were not sufficient bins to keep it fully employed and, as a result, entirely reliable figures as to the cost of operating were not obtainable.
The committee has heard of a system in operation in certain Continental cities by Which the full dustbins are removed to an emptying and cleaning depot, clean bins being delivered in
their place. It is thought desirable that this method, also, should be tested inWestminster so as to obtain accurate working costs, and arrangements are being made to this end.
One of the important benefits that will result from the prevention of the escape of dust and avoiding exposure of refuse is that it will permit the collection of refuse during the day from areas which, although otherwise suitable for daytime collection, can at present only be served during the night or early in the morning.